Shards Beneath our Feet
by hp4evr123
Summary: Rose's sister is brought to St. Vladimir's following tragic circumstances, and only because she's been shadow-kissed by Adrian. As her story slowly unravels and her past is revealed, will she be able to protect her Moroi, her new friends, and her sister? Or is her fragile state going to put her and everyone she comes to care for in danger once again?
1. Waking Up

**Hello, all! This is my newest story, and something I've been throwing around for a while-my first Vampire Academy story! This is a story about if Rose had a sister that was just as deadly and good at getting into crappy situations. I hope you all enjoy this! Please let me know with a review!**

**Waking Up**

I opened my eyes silently and slowly, hoping beyond hope that I wouldn't still be trapped in that god-awful bedroom. Thankfully, I seemed to be in a hospital room, which I thought was considerably better than the alternative. The stark white walls with just a hint of bland, framed artwork were a welcome relief to the ornamented, wallpapered monstrosities I had seen as of late. The bed I was currently in was stiff and small, but a welcome respite from the more lavish and sinister beds I had frequented lately. The room was generic and nothing special, but I couldn't help but sigh with ease as I noted the bare white walls, slightly aged TV, and sterile environment. Even the needle in my arm pumping clear fluids into my body didn't bother me in the slightest when I considered it could be Strigoi fangs in my neck draining me of blood.

I tensed tightly when the door swung open, readying my muscles for a fight. I stared in utter disbelief at the pair of people in the doorway, sure that I was hallucinating. There stood my father, Abe Mazur, and my mother, Janine Hathaway, looking as though they had had a brush with death themselves. Abe was holding a bouquet of beautiful pink flowers-which looked odd enough, without the big hot pink bow or the extravagant balloon arrangement that was floating above his head. Abe and Janine looked uncomfortable until they noticed that my eyes were open. At that point, they rushed forward into the room.

Janine walked immediately to the bedside as Abe settled the vase of flowers on a table close to my bed. He stood at the foot, distinctly professional and obviously mimicking my mother, though his eyes showed his relief clearly in his face. Janine's analytical gaze raked over my face as she studied me silently, taking in all that was wrong with me. And from what I could dimly recall and barely feel, there was probably a lot.

"How do you feel?" she asked me tensely. No 'are you okay'. She already knew the answer to that one, plus she wasn't one to coddle, but I wouldn't have it any other way. After what I had been through, coddling was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to forget my experiences, not relive them with a warm and soft mommy that would try to tell me everything would be okay. It wouldn't be. I cleared my throat, surprised at how much it seemed to need it. I felt as though I had been out for months.

"I can't feel the pain," I told her simply. My voice wasn't at its normal pitch either, leaving me confused. It had a gritty sound to it, and I tried clearing my throat again without much success. I resolved to use my gritty voice until my normal one resurfaced, despite the screaming my vocal chords seemed to give off any time I so much as opened my mouth.

"We're…glad that you're alive," my mother told me carefully. I knew it was difficult to express her feelings and I didn't fault her for it, and she did try to offer me an awkward, wane smile. The look in her eyes revealed that she was still really worried. I nodded appreciatively at her sentiments.

"Thanks," I muttered out. Abe looked me over critically, and I felt his assessing eyes before I looked up at him. When I glared and arched an eyebrow, he blushed in a very un-Abe-like way.

"Well, the guardians are waiting to speak with you," he told me gruffly, unsure of my reaction. It wasn't like he had been around enough to know me-I had met him once before, by accident. My mafia father seemed to realize that he was out of his element with one of his teenage daughters that had been tortured within an inch of her life. He shuffled from the bedside and the room, sparing me quick, furtive glances as he exited. It unnerved me, and I was glad to see Janine turning expectantly as a few guardians walked in.

I watched them enter uncertainly, and examined them quickly. One looked to be in his thirties or forties, with graying hair and dark skin. The other was a bit older, maybe his late fifties, with honey colored hair streaked with gray. The two men didn't have weapons on them that I could see, but they still moved with caution as they crossed the room to stand closer to Janine. They were fierce despite their age, and I didn't doubt that they could hand me my ass with barely a blink.

"Katerina," one began quietly. I stiffened at the sound of my name; I hadn't heard it in ages. The older one sighed as he stepped forward a little and began. "We need to ask you…what happened."

"She just woke up, Johnson," my mother stated defensively, her tone crisp and words professional but with a sharp edge that demanded he try to contest her. He looked at her, sighed again, and nodded. Not many people dared to mess with Janine Hathaway. I was grateful for her defense, but realized the severity of the situation as well. The guardians were only trying to keep everyone safe, and I had answers to their questions. "And she goes by Kate."

"Yes, Janine, we realize that, but we have to know if there are more," he told her quietly. My mother glared but backed off slightly, her arms crossed over her chest defensively. Surprisingly, she didn't stray from my side. The man turned back to me, and smiled kindly. I braced myself against his friendly demeanor. I had seen too many people turn on me to trust people on first glance ever again. "Now, Kate, we need you to try to remember what happened. Are there any others?" he asked me. I shook my head, closing my eyes as I focused back on the battle-the energy I had then. It had been scary, how quickly and easily I had killed them. It was terrifying how I could take lives so easily when it was them or me. No hesitation, no second thoughts.

"There are no more," I told him firmly, opening my eyes. I remembered most of the faces from the compound, and they had all been staring up blank at me when I ran from the dark place. I dared Johnson with a level look to ask me to be sure, but he didn't as he looked at me for a long time. I recognized the pity, and tried not to be resentful. God only knew how many of my injuries had been uncovered and revealed, and how bad I looked. He nodded at my answer, though, and I brushed off the pity look and the annoyance it had brought with it.

"We found…one other…dhampir, at the scene," he told me. I stiffened immediately, thinking of the only ally I had had in that horrid place…the ally that had died to let me escape and had thrown himself into the thick of battle to give me a running start. The one that had forced a Moroi child into my arms and instructed me to run as fast as I could to find help.

"Yes," I said as I felt my arms shaking. I again felt the imprint of the child, the quickness of his breaths against my throat, the trembling from his fear. I looked at Johnson, questions lingering in the air. He nodded gravely.

"The child is safe. His parents were located," he explained to me softly. I felt my eyes hurriedly blinking back tears, and looked away from the kindness on the face of the older man. I only thanked God that the boy had survived and I hadn't screwed it up.

"Good," I managed to murmur with difficulty. His fear, my fear, mingling between us, was something that I would remember for the rest of my life. My shoulders heated as they remembered the irritation of his young fingers scrabbling against my bare skin.

"They, um…left you some gifts, to thank you," the guardian told me uncomfortably. He glanced at my mother and shook his head. "But that can be discussed later, of course. But for now…do you remember what happened when you managed to get into the city?" he asked me. His eyes shone, as though he knew what I was going to say, or thought he knew, and was excited to hear my side. Maybe not excited…he seemed more…anxious?

I felt the haze of confusion return to me as I tried to remember, and felt…impatient? That wasn't what I was really feeling, though. I was a little irritated, but I wasn't feeling impatient…

"I…ran," I explained quietly. My throaty voice was forcing out the words. I felt the rush of adrenaline hit as the memory resurfaced, bright and clear in my head. "I ran into town, into the sun, and then…slammed into a Moroi in the street," I stated. The guardian nodded encouragingly, and I noted absently the interested look on my mother's face. The other guardian was listening intently, too, and I coughed self-consciously. Their stares were too much. "The man…I looked into his eyes, and then everything was black…I woke up here."

The guardians nodded and straightened. I had given them the answers they wanted.

"That'll be all for now, Kate. The man you ran into would like to see you, though," he added as an afterthought as he and the other guardian made their way to the door. I stiffened for what felt like the umpteenth time since I had woken up, holding back the wince of pain that accompanied tensing my sore muscles, and glanced at my mother quickly before looking back at the door. A Moroi wanted to see me?

A well-dressed man strode in. He was tall, slim, and pale like most Moroi, and had an air of urgency around him. His emerald green eyes flashed as he raked a hand through his dark brown hair-those eyes, I remembered as the last thing I had seen before passing out in the street, cradled in his embrace as he lowered us to the ground. He stepped towards me anxiously and leaned forward to peer into my eyes for a long, intense moment. I felt my breathing speed up considerably in self-consciousness, and my heart felt like it was about to beat right out of my chest. I thought I could handle being this close to a Moroi man, or any man, but I had been very, very wrong.

Tears stung my eyes but didn't fall as he stood up straight and watched me curiously. He studied me, as if I was a school project, and I watched him back with wide, anxious eyes. Finally, he spoke, and offered me his hand to shake.

"I'm Adrian Ivashkov," he stated. "And you're shadow-kissed."


	2. Back to School

**Thank you to supernaturalkissed for my first review! I'm so excited that you liked it! And to answer your question, Kate is older than Rose, but you'll get more backstory explaining everything soon!**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**Back to School**

_"I'm Adrian Ivashkov," he stated. "And you're shadow-kissed."_

"What?" I demanded blankly. The term-if it even was one-was something I had never heard before. I ignored the offered hand as Adrian explained to me just exactly what had happened when I passed out in his arms.

He had determined that I had major internal bleeding as well as substantial long-term blood loss, which was probably true from all of those bites, and I had collapsed in his arms when I ran headfirst into him. He said that he took the child from my arms and then cradled me, where he heard my heart beat for the last time. Being a spirit user, he brought me back because he could, and due to some fit of moral gallantry. And because I looked like someone that he was in love with. And lastly because it was the right thing to do. I sarcastically thanked him for saving my life while my mother glared at me disapprovingly and Adrian laughed at my dry humor. It was easier to make light of the situation than try to process it all at once.

I was released from the hospital and into the custody of Janine and surprisingly Adrian. The parents of the child I had saved met me briefly in the lobby to hand me a large basket of care-package things before hugging my sore body fiercely and demanding my contact information to stay in touch. Why they wanted contact with a measly novice like me was beyond me, but I didn't give it too much thought while Janine jotted down her cell number to contact them later.

Janine and Adrian hustled me onto a plane, where I was told we were going to St. Vladimir's Academy, where my sister was currently attending. I tried to hide my displeasure at being in a school environment when the last one I had been in had been so insanely traumatic and terrible, but that was where Adrian was, and I was supposed to stay near him until further notice. The bond would be difficult enough to deal with without me being far from him, and I couldn't go live with my mom and her charge or my father. And I apparently still needed an education, according to Janine. The guardians didn't exactly know what to do with me, and so I was shipped off to the boarding school.

Janine stood before me awkwardly to tell me goodbye at the airport in Montana before her next flight took off. A town car idled close by, ready to whisk Adrian and I off to St. Vladimir's. My mom would be off, back to her charge in Europe. Her face had softened into a slightly vulnerable expression, and her worry for me was evident on her face.

"I want you to call me for anything you need. Lord Szelsky understands the situation, and has agreed to give me leave for as long as I need, if you need me." Her auburn curls were whipping around in the wind, dancing around her face. I felt lost and childlike with her standing in front of me. I had been with her for a brief time as a child, when she took a break from guardian duties to have my sister and me, but most of those memories were fuzzy. I had considered my instructors sort of surrogate-parents in her absence, but they were gone now and she was here. I knew she cared about me, and I definitely cared about her, but having her offer this time was weird and very unlike her. My mother was a warrior, not a cuddly housewife.

"I'm fine, mom," I told her quietly. The last thing I wanted was for her to make a special trip out to Montana for me. I could take care of myself. In answer, my mom pulled me in for a tight hug, squeezing the life out of me. With Adrian's healing and making me shadow-kissed, most of my injuries had disappeared, but a few still remained from the long-term conditions I had suffered with the Strigoi. My sides were particularly bad, with bruises flowing from my ribcage down to my hips.

After the painful, slightly awkward hug, Adrian gestured for me to follow him and led me over to the car. I hesitated at the door, not sure how I felt about being in a car alone with him for an extended period of time. In addition to alone time, the car reminded me brutally of the cars I had been transported in as a captive. My hesitance was obvious to Adrian, and he smiled in what I guessed he thought was a reassuring way. To me, it looked just a little creepy and slightly impatient.

"It's okay, I promise," he told me softly. As I was watching him, I slipped slightly closer to him mentally. Apparently this was something I would be doing since I was shadow-kissed. I was suddenly seeing myself through his eyes, with his senses.

_She looks scared. Maybe those Strigoi were guys, and did…_ His thoughts trailed off onto shockingly accurate depictions of my conditions with the Strigoi. Even worse was that he could tell I was seeing what he was, and he shut down that thought process immediately when he sensed me. _God that look on her face…I'll just lay low and stay away unless she needs me. Maybe when she trusts me more she'll let me closer._

And with that, I knew that I could trust him. Adrian's feelings completely shied away from scaring me, to the point that he put his own natural behavior on hold. He kept his distance, and waited for me to acclimate myself to the situation. Although there was a slight edge of impatience to get in the car-the daylight was bothering him a little-he continued to wait for me. That behavior from him alone was enough to convince me, and enough for me to realize how soft I had become and what a baby I was acting like. I slid into the car quickly and Adrian followed gratefully. The long, three-hour drive to the Academy commenced.

* * *

The large, iron gates at the entrance to the school were similar to the ones at my old one. There were guardians stationed at a post that oversaw the visitors. The gates were mechanical, and slid open slowly when the guardians recognized Adrian.

"Lord Ivashkov," one said with a respectful head incline. Adrian smiled and waved.

"And guest," he said, nodding to me to remedy their slightly confused looks. The two guardians nodded and waved our car through.

The parking lot was set back from the school, near the Academy's private jet airport. We hadn't taken one of those in because they were currently in use flying royals back from the Thanksgiving break. The expansive grounds were lined with paved walkways, winding through the trees and up to the main campus. Adrian was unbothered by the sunset and tree cover, so we strolled along and up to the pretty gray brick buildings. The driver of the car followed with my meager luggage; a small suitcase with one change of clothes and the contents of the gift basket from the Moroi family.

Adrian led me directly to one of the bigger, prettier buildings, the administration building, where I was watched closely by the guardians on-staff and by the Moroi staff. Everyone was curious about who I was and what I was doing with the Ivashkov kid that hung around. We were led into the headmistress's office where Adrian spoke with her and told a detailed account of my predicament. Headmistress Kirova was mostly at a loss of what to do with me; any records from my previous school had been destroyed and I had nothing with me but the clothes on my back and the small suitcase the driver had left with me. Kirova wasted no time in shuffling me into classes, giving me my assigned dorm room, and taking the liberty to show Adrian and me to the dorm itself.

She made small talk with Adrian as we crossed the grounds, but pretty much ignored me, which I was fine with. The vast Montana mountains were a far cry from the urban school I had grown up with in Georgia. The front gates and brick buildings seemed to be where the similarities ended as far as our schools went. St. Vladimir's was vast and spread out and had acres upon acres of land, while my school had been relatively compact with just two acres of surrounding green space.

"This is the novice girls' dorm," Kirova said as she gestured to a clean, gothic castle looking building that was just one of the many surrounding us. Except for a choice few like the administration building and the gym, that were obviously different, the pretty gray buildings all looked the same to me. It was newly dark outside, the early beginning of the Moroi day, and only a few students roamed the grounds at this hour. I hadn't been really spotted by anyone, and I was glad for that. Any attention from here on out was unnecessary; I had been given plenty enough already.

"Thank you, headmistress," I said softly, looking into her eyes. She nodded almost hesitantly, surprised with me saying anything at all, and gestured for me to enter, Adrian following me. She left us in the lobby and headed back across campus. I looked around at my new home uncertainly. On the inside, the building was relatively modern, with an open area decorated with soft neutral colors and green plants. Unlike most of the other buildings on campus, it was well-lit and cheerful looking, a credit to us dhampirs being part human and able to tolerate stronger lighting.

"Your room is this way," Adrian explained as he gestured to the stairs. We climbed up to the second floor and went down a short hallway to a door about halfway down. Adrian handed me a key he produced from one of his pockets and gestured grandly for me to open the door. I opened it with little excitement and walked in slowly, taking in my surroundings. Adrian was quick to pass me up and go for the bed.

Adrian made himself at home on my bed with a flop. It already had sheets and a thick comforter in a pretty cream and navy blue. The walls were decorated with a couple of black and white photo prints, mostly flowers. The desk had a sleek computer as well as a standard Academy-issued lamp. The desk was cluttered with school supplies-a small stack of notebooks, a pencil cup filled with pens and highlighters. The closet, after a quick glance, was well stocked. It was almost as if I was walking into someone else's room.

"Rose and Lissa went shopping for you. Your mom called Kirova yesterday and said that you'd probably be coming back with me. Rose and Lissa wanted you to be comfortable," Adrian explained as he handled a small stuffed bear. It reminded me eerily of the one I had left behind at my old Academy, one that I had been given as a child in elementary school, as a comfort for the nights when the thunder rolled through and I nearly wet my pants with fear. The camel-brown fur and black nose and eyes almost looked up at me with hope. I dimly thought that maybe, I would get over this awful thing that had happened. Adrian took my silence as discomfort, though.

"Look," he began quietly. "I get that you're jumpy…those Strigoi must have done horrible things to you…but I want to help you. I want you to like me, to be comfortable with me. I want to be your friend," he told me honestly. I nodded tightly, and he sighed again and smiled. It wasn't that I didn't like him or appreciate what he had done for me; it was just that I was unsure how to act around him. I didn't understand how everything fit together in this new world that was going to be my life. Tentatively, I reached for the bear in his arms. He handed it over with an eager expression on his face as I held it carefully, tucking it under my folded arms.

The door literally burst open behind me, and I jumped and took a defensive position in front of Adrian. The bear dropped to the floor, forgotten in the face of a threat. My guardian training was hard to forget, and my reaction was automatic, a conditioned response. I catalogued the newcomers with a quick, silent intensity.

The first girl looked a lot like me, and I assumed immediately that this was my sister, Rosemarie. She was tall, at probably about 5'7", and had long, dark brown hair. The second was a slender, pale, pretty Moroi girl with flowing light blonde hair and bright, jade green eyes. The last was a tall, pale and slender Moroi boy with black hair and electric blue eyes. I regarded them all with a very guarded expression, and tensed when Adrian's hand found my shoulder comfortingly. His thoughts were a storm of happy and cloudy-he was excited for the visitors, but didn't like how I had reacted, not that I could really help it.

"This is Rose, her friend Lissa, and Lissa's boyfriend Christian," Adrian explained to me softly. His gentle voice was meant to soothe, but my teeth were already on edge. Hadn't these people ever heard of knocking? I had nearly attacked. I gritted my teeth and nodded tightly at both the introductions and to the three teenagers in the doorway of my dorm room. My fury faded to the back of my mind, though it didn't fade completely.

"So," Rose began with a grin. "You're my sister," she stated plainly as she made her way into my room and flopped onto my bed. I watched her carefully, deciding that she wasn't an immediate threat, and relaxed the barest bit under Adrian's comforting hand.

"Yes," I told her. I didn't like the appraising look she gave me.

"It speaks," Christian scoffed from the doorway. I looked over and saw Lissa hit him, rolling her eyes in exasperation. She looked at me apologetically.

"From him, that's a 'nice to meet you', I promise," she told me with a quick, sweet smile. She kept her lips closed, and I nodded briefly to let her know I understood. Christian's bright blue gaze was openly laughing at my returned silence. Adrian's hand gently guided me to sit back on the desk chair, and I did so, though reluctantly. I was still nervous, and sitting wasn't going to help that feeling. He picked up the teddy bear and returned it to my arms, though the fascination with it had been lost. Adrian lounged against the wall beside me, hovering.

"Well," Rose started again. My gaze switched to her automatically. "Tell us what happened to you," she requested frankly. She certainly didn't hesitate with making things uncomfortable. I bristled.

"Rose," Adrian murmured tensely. Rose looked up at him, astonished. I could tell that his admonishing her had never happened before, from the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "Not now," he stated agitatedly. I noted from our connection that he had realized my strong reaction to the story earlier, and he had vowed not to tell it in my presence again, or let anyone else ask me to relive it. I sighed quietly and sat back against the desk chair. Adrian turned and offered me a reassuring smile. I just watched him silently, brooding over the situation.

"Do you have _molnija_ marks?" Rose asked me simply. She apparently thought that this was an easier, more polite question. Adrian glared at her but didn't admonish her again, and she looked at me expectantly. I didn't answer her. She rolled her eyes, exasperated with me, but I just remained silent. Maybe if I didn't answer her questions she would give up and leave. "Are you going to be taking our classes?" she asked. I didn't answer, and Adrian stepped in.

"Rose, she's tired. She needs to rest," he told her quietly. His voice was firm, not allowing her to argue or haggle with him. Rose looked about ready to say something, but Lissa stopped her.

"C'mon Rose," she said, looking at me sympathetically. "She really does look tired. You can interrogate her tomorrow at breakfast," Lissa offered with a smile at me. I was suddenly keenly thankful for Lissa's intervention. Without her, Rose probably would have continued to ask me questions throughout her day until I gave up and answered.

Lissa, Rose, and Christian departed for their classes and left Adrian and me alone then. He smiled at me reassuringly and moved to leave, but I stood and took his wrist quickly. I was anxious to have him out of my sight, and I was anxious to be alone.

"Where are you going?" I demanded. In this new world I had been thrown into, he was my only ally, the only person I knew and trusted. Trust-something he had been gunning for since we met-came so very quickly when I faced new and different people, different threats. He smiled at my question; it was the most I had talked to him in a long time.

"I was going back to my room…are you okay?" he asked as his smile morphed into concern as I began shaking.

"Don't leave," I begged him softly. My voice was near a whisper, and I felt tears stinging my eyes. This room was too quiet, too lonely, for me to bear on my own. Left alone, I was unsure if I would relive my worst nightmares, or if I would be taken again. Although the fear was irrational, it haunted my every waking moment. Adrian looked alarmed at my fear, and pulled me into an embrace quickly.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," he crooned softly. He pulled away long enough to look into my eyes fully. "I'm not far. I know you're nervous about being in a new place, but you're safe here," he told me quietly. He didn't realize that those last words weren't comforting. I had also thought I was safe at my old school, and I wasn't. His hands rubbed my shoulders, trying to ease back the tension. I shook my head, protesting, and he smiled very, very gently. "Why don't I stay until the guardians are ready for your _molnija_ ceremony? I'll walk you there and everything."

I nodded, hating to show weakness, but needing him more. Adrian stretched out in the desk chair and made a show of cracking open one of my textbooks while I sat on the bed and kicked off my shoes. Having him in my room relaxed me enough to fall back against the pillows and close my eyes long enough for a short nap.

Adrian shook me awake and stepped out of the room while I threw on guardian black-and-white clothes he had laid out for me to wear to the ceremony. After I had brushed my hair into a high bun, we headed across campus to the guardian administration building. Adrian followed me into the small lobby, but waited there while I went further into the building. One of the rooms was lined with some chairs, and a tattoo artist sat in the front waiting with a needle. The head of the guardians, Guardian Petrov, had greeted me warmly and shown me the way. She gestured for me to take the chair beside the tattoo artist and then joined the ten or so other guardians that were apparently not on duty.

The needle on the back of my neck stung, but the pain was dim compared to what I had recently experienced. He worked for a long time; I was to receive a _zvezda_ mark for the battle at my school, as well as five _molnija_ marks for the escape from my kidnappers in the mountains. One of those marks was really for the dhampir that had fallen in the escape, but the guardians had decided I had had enough of a hand in the Strigoi's death to award me the _molnija_, since the dhampir couldn't take it himself.

The process took hours, but when it was over, the guardians of St. Vladimir's stepped forward to offer their appreciation. We never said "congratulations" at these things, because there was nothing fun or happy about eliminating a life from this world, corrupt and undead or not.

I returned to Adrian in the lobby with a thick white bandage on the back of my neck. He tried to offer me a smile, but could see that I wasn't in the mood for it. He tempered his reaction quickly and brought me back to my room, where he offered to stay a little longer. I changed into a comfy pair of pajamas I found tucked into the dresser drawers and flopped back on my bed lightly.

Adrian stayed long enough to get me a takeout dinner from the cafeteria and watch a movie on the computer with me before he needed to get back to guest housing for my curfew. I was reluctant to let him leave.

"Do you have to go?" I asked quietly. Adrian sighed.

"Yeah, they get pretty strict around here with the curfew thing," he explained. "Plus the matron downstairs logged me coming in with dinner, so she'll be up here any minute kicking me out." I must have looked pitiful to him, because he sat beside me suddenly on the bed and took my hand, his green eyes gleaming with a scheme. "Look, have you seen anything in my head about…spirit dreams?"

"No," I said. "I didn't go snooping around on purpose. I thought you'd like your privacy."

"Well," he chuckled lightly. "I appreciate that. But these are hard to explain. Let's just say, I can be with you when you're sleeping."

"That sounds…weird," I hedged. _Intimate_ was the word I would've used, but he might have taken it in a sexual direction, when I really only meant it as a little too close for comfort. Still, he seemed excited about this idea and seemed to think it would solve this problem, so I didn't burst his bubble or protest.

"Trust me," he urged. I nodded, and he smiled so bright it was like looking into the sun. "Okay, I'll see you soon then." He paused at the door. "But don't forget to fall asleep."


	3. Dreaming

**Hey everyone! Just wanted to say I'm a little disappointed...I only have one review! I hope this is an interesting story...and I do promise that Rose will have a big role in the future chapters! Does anyone have any comments or suggestions? I hear crickets...**

**Dreaming**

_You're not sleeping._ Adrian's thoughts drifted over to me at around noon, the middle of the vampiric night. And he was right. Despite my best efforts, I was still wide-awake, staring around my new room with growing trepidation. Shadows and soft noises had been haunting me for months, and in a new place, it had only grown worse. Before, the sounds and shadows were things I was used to; Strigoi on a guard shift, someone visiting with food. Now, the dorm settling had my teeth clenched so tightly, I was getting a headache.

Before I knew it, softness cradled me, and my tense muscles released. I was suddenly standing in the room I had been kept in. Adrian sat on the richly decorated bed, face confused.

"I've been trying to get you all night. Why are we in this room?" he asked me. His eyes were soft with concern as I looked slowly around the room I had only just escaped.

Short, sharp breaths fell from my lips and Adrian's hands found my shoulders.

"Kate?" he asked. I didn't miss that this was the first time he had ever called me by name. "_Kate_, listen to me, this isn't real. This is a dream." The scene melted around us and we were on a beach with powdery white sand and sparkling azure water. I looked around in wonder, baffled by Adrian's mysterious powers. "Are you okay?" he asked me gently. He pulled me down to sit in the pleasantly warm sand. My fingers sifted through it, mesmerized.

"I've never been to the beach before," I admitted to Adrian. He let out a relieved little laugh.

"You scared me for a minute there. You looked…lost." Adrian hesitated. "Gone. Like you were on a different planet."

"In a different place," I explained in a whisper. Adrian's green eyes were focused on me, listening. I hesitated, looking around again. "This…_feels_ real."

"Yeah," Adrian grinned. "Our minds are here but our bodies aren't."

"Am I sleeping? I don't feel tired," I asked. He smiled.

"You're sleeping but I'm kind of awake. Almost like a trance."

"Oh," I said softly. I turned my eyes back onto Adrian's patient expression. Resigned, I opened my mouth. "You can ask, you know." Adrian looked back blankly. "What they did to me."

Curiosity flared in his eyes as well as the bond, searing me, but he tried to hold it back from his voice. He laughed and scoffed in the same breath as he tried to lighten the somber mood that had settled between us, "But would you tell me?"

"Yes," I said immediately. My answer surprised both of us, and Adrian watched me with a growing sense of urgency.

"They hurt you," he stated. I nodded, forthcoming with the information. I idly realized this was our longest interaction yet, and I didn't mind his presence in the slightest. In the weirdest way, I craved it. I needed to be close to him, to see his face and talk to him and feel his reactions. He had mentioned in passing that Rose and Lissa were bonded like us, and I wondered if Rose felt this way, too, this constant need to be in Lissa's presence as I was experiencing with Adrian.

"Their hideout was in the mountains. They lived on the edge of that small town, so they had plenty of humans around for quick meals." I paused, thoughtful, trying to best word these answers to keep Adrian from getting too upset. I was scarred enough for the both of us. "They thought of me as more of a pet than a meal…"

"Pet?" Adrian asked. His eyes flashed with fury, but the rest of him remained relatively relaxed. I searched the sand for his hand and touched it tentatively. He responded by flipping it over so we were palm-to-palm.

"They fed off of me, but not enough to kill me. They _wanted_ to keep me around."

"But they didn't…turn you," he said, confused. I shook my head.

"I was the entertainment," I hedged. We were beginning to tread uncomfortable waters, and his thoughts from earlier, in the car leaving the airport, returned.

Adrian grasped the meaning of my statement and didn't push for the gory details, but his next question was haunting all the same.

"Why you?"

It was a question that had plagued me from the moment I was taken. Of all the people at the school; of all the Moroi and dhampirs that had been there that night, of all my classmates and friends and teachers and mentors-why me? What made me so special that I was worth taking back and taunting for months on end? What made me the focus of torture tactics and ridicule and the worst of Strigoi nature? What kept me alive when countless others were brought in merely for slaughter? Why was I the only survivor in the death pit that house was? And why was I the only survivor from my school's massacre?

The answer boiled down to one single thing. One being so twisted, so cruel, that I hated thinking his name, much less murmuring it to Adrian. His name inspired such anger, such fury and hatred in me, that my hands clenched into fists and my teeth were set on edge. Adrian's other hand fell onto my back gently, trying to elicit a vocal response from me.

"Andrew," I spit out with venom. "His name was Andrew."

* * *

"How is he the reason?" Adrian asked logically. His tone was verging on over-protective, and I would have laughed had the situation been anything less serious. A Moroi feeling protective over a dhampir he just met? That was pretty crazy stuff.

"We…he…" I trailed off, unable to get the words out.

_"Andrew, stop!" I laughed in delight. He was romping along down the narrow street, me on his back, drunk off his ass. My arms refused to hold on any longer, and I slipped down and landed on the ground on my butt. His friends laughed with me as they hoisted me up again. I pulled my low-rise jeans up to cover the lacy underwear that was surely giving them a free show._

_"Kitty!" Andrew hollered from up the street. He waved his arms above his head. "Where are ya, Kitty?"_

_I ran and catapulted myself into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. He stumbled back but was able to hold me. I was much lighter than the average dhampir with the miniscule height I had inherited from my mom, so I was easily held by Andrew, a Moroi that was as built as they could get with lean muscle running down his body from all the time he spent in the gym._

_We kissed under the glowing light of several street lamps. We had just barely managed to ditch our last two classes and go out to the human clubs before they closed. As a result, we were high on the escape and drunker than I could remember ever being. I had lost count of the number of drinks and shots Andrew had supplied me with, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I was riding the ultimate high._

_"Get a room!" his friends jeered. We were nearing the school. I had faked a stomach bug and Andrew said his parents called him home. As far as the school was concerned, I was snug in my bed and Andrew was at his parents' house on the other side of town. I wasn't sure what his friends had given as excuses, but a group as small as ours was sure to go unnoticed missing for just a couple of hours. Plus, the Moroi had all but a free-run of St. John's, since they weren't technically enrolled. They mostly just came to classes to learn or appease their parents._

_"Gladly!" Andrew yelled back at them when he pulled away from my lips. His bright eyes found mine in the warm yellow glow of the street lamps and I answered with a smile. "Your room?" he asked hopefully._

_"Yeah," I breathed as I brought my lips down to his once again. I slithered down his body as he slowly lowered me to the ground. We continued kissing at the back edge of the Academy's property, lingering before we moved past the wards and hopped the wrought iron fence. Andrew's friends called faint goodbyes, and one of them took back Bianca, another novice from my class._

_This time, the kiss heated up considerably before we broke apart. The dawning sun was calling our attention and blowing our cover. If we wanted to get back into the academy and up to my room with relatively few people noticing us, we had to go now. Andrew's hand wrapped around mine, leading me to the fence. Even drunk, we were coordinated enough to jump it, though we both landed flat on our backs on the academy side._

_I made a move to stand, but Andrew rolled on top of me, pinning me to the grassy ground. I smiled lazily up at him, but his eyes had gone from happy drunk to serious drunk._

_"You're beautiful, Kitty," he told me seriously. I rolled my eyes and tried to knock him aside, but he persisted even as I wiggled out from beneath him. "The most beautiful girl in the world," he insisted._

_"Just kiss me, idiot," I told him affectionately._

_Another kiss before we were stealing quietly through the trees, trying our hand at secret agent and guardian-esque moves. Though we weren't quiet or stealthy by any means, we miraculously avoided detection and headed up to the novice girls dorms. I went in through the front door and then let Andrew in through the fire escape. A novice girl had long ago disabled the screaming wail it let out when the door was opened, so it was a smooth way to sneak in guests._

_My dorm room door shutting behind us was the finality of the drunken night. We were clumsy with the drink, but we made it to my bed without much stumbling. Andrew landed on top of me and started kissing me again, pushing me into the plentiful pillows. We made out for the longest time before I sighed and kicked my jeans off. Andrew looked at me with surprise._

_"I-I thought you weren't ready," he hesitated. I shrugged._

_"I'm not. The jeans are hot."_

_He laughed, his breath danced along my neck, making me shiver. Those beautiful eyes shifted again, going from playful to serious in less than a breath. "I love you, Katerina," he breathed softly._

_The weight of his words settled against my chest, worming into my heart. Part of me wondered how drunk he still was but the other part didn't care-she was rejoicing that he finally said the words that would bring the relationship to the next level._

_"I'm ready now," I told him in all-seriousness._

_And then I was flying._

"We were a thing," I told Adrian shortly. "At school. And then he was turned. And he took me with him."

"Kate…" Adrian said quietly. There wasn't much to say, really. I looked at him, lost.

"I thought I knew him. I thought I trusted him," I stated. "Even as a Moroi he was abusive, just…not to the extent when he was turned. I was blinded by his charm and affection." I laughed bitterly. "It's amazing how convincing he was."

"You were young," Adrian told me gently. His hand came up by my face and I flinched back, expecting the harshness of a slap. Adrian's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared first at me, then his hand. Tentatively, he continued the motion, moving to merely brush hair out of my eyes. I blushed, mortified by my reaction at his tender approach. "You're afraid of me," he sighed in defeat.

"I'm not," I countered softly. Adrian's eyes were tired, but I persisted. "I'm not afraid of you-how can I be? Strigoi tortured me and fed on me and…raped me…for months on end. My life was a living nightmare and was full of monsters. You-the man that saved me-are not the cause of any fear inside of me."

"You flinched," Adrian pushed, shaking his head. He doubted me. "You're afraid."

"Yes," I agreed. "Afraid of pain. Afraid of the hand that nears me. Afraid of myself and what I'm capable of." I looked down at my bare, clean hands, and imagined them stained with blood from the monsters that had held me captive. "But not afraid of _you_," I insisted. Adrian looked intrigued, but mildly doubtful. "I…did that…thing…that you talked about. You know, hearing your thoughts in my head thing, seeing through your eyes…" I trailed off, unsure what he called it. He nodded, showing he knew what I was talking about. "And I realized that for now at least, you have the purest intentions, concerning me. You saved me, and I'm grateful for that, but you've also taken me with you to continue to care for me. And that's the kindest thing anyone's ever done for me." I took a deep breath and looked into his big green eyes as I prepared myself to say what I wanted to next. "I'm going to follow you everywhere, Adrian. You are my savior, and I owe you my life. I will be your guardian, your shadow. I won't let any harm come to you as long as I'm able to protect you. My life isn't my own now, it belongs to you."

"Whoa there, little girl," Adrian protested, a panicky look creeping in. "I get that you appreciate what I did and all, but you should know some stuff…"

"Why you did it? Yes, I know. You think you love Rose. That's okay; I don't care. You still did it, and I can see that a lot of it was just because of how kind you are. Adrian, the why and the how don't matter. The point is that you brought me back from the dead. I can't ever repay you for that, but I can keep you as safe as possible. As safe as I'm able to."

Adrian sighed and stared off into the distance, at the ocean beyond us. I had nearly forgotten where we were, after all my solemn promises and twisted memories. The scene was still beautiful and the warm air still balmy. I watched Adrian silently, admiring the strength behind his pretty eyes and the determination in the set of his jaw.

"Okay, fine, I accept your…promise to guard me." He rolled his eyes playfully, trying to make me laugh, but it only earned a twitch from my lips. "Hey, that's some progress! I haven't seen that much amusement in you yet!"

This comment only served to have me roll my eyes at him, amid a flurry of blurry colors. I stiffened and looked to him anxiously, watching the beach fade slowly away.

"What's happening?" I panicked.

"You're waking up. It's okay, I promise!"

Those were his last words in our dream together before he faded completely and my eyes popped open just in time to watch my flailing arm knock my sister hard in the face.

Rose stumbled back; eyes alight with fury. My dorm room door was wide open, and the light in my room was on. The sunlight had faded behind the dark shades of my window, and a quick reference to my clock told me that it was seven-thirty p.m.

"Good morning sunshine," Rose told me, crossing her arms over her chest. Her tone oozed attitude and anger…both directed towards me. "Ready for your first day?"


	4. Fights and Faints

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**Fights and Faints**

Rose continued to be sour as we made our way down to the cafeteria. Her right cheek was slowly swelling and going from red to purple, but my apology had fallen on deaf ears. After I had gotten up and put clothes on, Rose had dragged me from my room and across campus so that she wouldn't be late meeting up with her friends. I had attempted to escape only to be reined back in and forced into the cafeteria. My only consolation was that Adrian was stirring in his rooms as well, and had the intention of meeting me here.

"Hi, Katerina!" Lissa smiled brightly at me. She and Christian were side-by-side at a table. There was a yogurt in front of her and a piece of toast in front of him. Rose plopped down on the side of the table facing them and I slipped into the adjoining seat.

"It's Kate," I corrected automatically. Lissa's answering smile was gentle and Rose's head swiveled to look at me.

"Kate?" she asked. I nodded.

"It's a nickname," I answered dryly.

"What happened to your face, Rose?" Christian demanded. I fell quiet as Rose did, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was.

"Kate nailed me when I went to wake her up," Rose mumbled nearly incoherently.

"Here," Lissa offered, extending her hand across the table.

"Lissa, don't-," Rose didn't get to finish because Lissa's hand touched her cheek and after a moment, the bruise disappeared completely.

"Are you starving my guardian, little dhampir?" Adrian's sarcastic comment floated over us. I turned and hopped up to greet him by standing close beside him. He smiled down at me and ruffled my messy hair affectionately. It was a tumbleweed since Rose had barely allowed me to pull my fingers through it, much less a brush.

"Not at all," Rose said. She gestured to the food line and stood to accompany us over.

Adrian piled a tray high with food for the two of us to share and then carried it back to the table. Rose got away with a half dozen donuts and began munching on them before we made it back to the table. Once seated again, Adrian pushed several pieces of fruit and some oatmeal towards me. I picked at nothing in particular, not hungry. I hadn't had much to eat over the months and my appetite was next to nothing. I rarely ate at all anymore.

No one made a big deal over me picking at my food, and I followed Adrian's thoughts, thinking I was nervous on my first day back at a school. With that in mind, I went into a mini-panic attack. The last time I had been at a school and going to classes, it resulted in a massacre.

And as I slowly began to calm myself, I found another reason to get agitated. Everywhere I looked, people were staring. Some were staring at Adrian, and I suspected that since he wasn't a registered student, he would attract some attention. Others had their eyes focused on Lissa and Rose. But that was nothing on the stares people were giving me. I couldn't tell if they were staring because they knew who I was or because they didn't know, but sitting at this table wasn't making me invisible, that was for sure. Rose and Lissa were notorious, as my mother had informed me briefly, due to their bond and their escape from the academy for two years. A new girl sitting with this group was sure to get noticed. Adding that to the fact that everyone that attended St. Vladimir's knew each other since they entered in diapers…I stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Why is everyone staring?" I finally asked, interrupting Rose mid-rant on something about training sessions with a Russian warlord.

"You're the hot new gossip," Christian informed me, much to Lissa's dismay. "Word travels fast, and they all know you were kidnapped by Strigoi and held for who knows how long."

"How did they find out?" I asked, shocked. Christian shrugged, continuing to be the bearer of bad news since Lissa and Rose remained tight-lipped.

"Several of the popular royals have a free period working in the administration building instead of classes. Most likely they overhead your story by Kirova's office." He paused, and must have seen the panicked look on my face. "Don't worry though, it's mostly speculation. There aren't many details; just rumors."

"And that makes it so much better," I rolled my eyes. He shrugged.

"You could do worse," he admitted with a shrug.

I watched Christian for a while as he turned back to his toast and sipped on orange juice. There were stories about his parents-the Ozeras that had willingly turned Strigoi and returned for him. His aunt had fended them off, and Christian had been saved by the guardians. But that kind of stigma-Moroi willingly becoming Strigoi-didn't fade away, and never ceased to be a source of ridicule and fear. His life on a daily basis was probably more difficult than mine would be, concerning gossiping royals at least.

A chiming bell rang over the loudspeaker, startling me. Everyone began standing up, heading for the doors leading to classrooms. I hastily stood up as well and made to throw away the food I hadn't eaten. My hands shook with nerves and tension, and Adrian took the tray away from me before I spilled the uneaten meal all over the floor and people around me. I shot him a grateful look and took the paper schedule he handed me as we let out into the chilly Montana evening.

Eyes followed me wherever I moved, but Adrian pulled me to the side so the rest of the school could exit the cafeteria in a stream of bodies. Rose quickly stepped in beside me and craned her neck to look at my schedule over my shoulder.

"We have some classes together. I'll take it from here, Ivashkov," she mentioned. Adrian shot her a panty-dropping smile and ruffled my hair again.

"Take care of her, little dhampir. I'll see you later, Kate," he told me. He walked off, lighting a cigarette as he strolled along to god-knows-where.

"This is Eddie," Rose informed me, gesturing to a tall dhampir boy with blonde hair and pretty hazel eyes. "We're good friends. Eddie, this is my sister-."

"Katerina," he finished with a nod and smile. He offered his hand and I shook it once, firmly, before abruptly dropping it. Apparently, even my name preceded me.

"I prefer Kate," I admitted. I attempted a smile for Eddie, and he nodded quickly and seriously in return.

"Got it. Nice to meet you, Kate." He and Rose began walking in the direction of what I assumed was the gym. "I'm guessing you're joining us for combat?" he asked. I nodded, glancing down at my schedule again. I had already taken and passed most of the classes listed. At my school, I would have been a senior, and that was just shy of a year ago. Here, I was registered as a junior. Obviously, I looked young to Kirova. Luckily, junior and senior novices shared most of the same classes.

"How old are you anyway?" Rose asked, dark eyes narrowed as she examined my face. "You inherited mom's height, I see. Unless you're like, twelve…"

I glared up at Rose, feeling my temper start to get the best of me. Of the two of us, I was older by a good bit.

"Older than you," I told her coldly. I would be nineteen in just a few short weeks, while Rose was still just pushing past seventeen.

"_Really_?" she asked, disbelieving. I ignored her and turned forwards, seeing the gym looming before us. There was a large group of novices gathered outside by the outdoor equipment, but we walked past them and filed inside the warmer gym.

Eddie looked at me curiously.

"Where were you at school before, Kate?" he asked lightly.

I stiffened but ultimately realized this would come up sooner or later. And at least it was Eddie asking me politely, not some random person in passing.

"St. John's Academy," I answered softly.

Rose and Eddie's jaws dropped and we came to an abrupt halt. I glanced between the two of them shortly and then sighed. This was the reaction I had been hoping to avoid.

"The all-novice training academy in Georgia?" Eddie demanded, his tone awed. I wanted to slap the tone out of his voice. His eyes raked over me with approval. "You must be really good-."

"No, I'm not," I cut him off quickly. "I'm just like the rest of you. Just older." I shot a glance at Rose, but she was still gazing at me in disbelief.

"Why-why were you there? Why not here?" she asked. We all heard the unspoken _with me_ at the end of her question. I shrugged in answer.

Inside the gym, thick sparring mats were covering the floor and novices loitered, waiting for class to start. I earned several stares as we entered, but I sat beside where Rose and Eddie stood on the mats and began stretching like my instructors had taught back at my school. They watched me for a minute before they joined me.

"Dimitri's running this? Thank god," Rose breathed as our instructor walked in. He was tall, broad, dark-haired, and deadly looking. I wondered how Rose knew him and why she referred to him by his first name and not his title.

"Must be subbing in for Guardian Max," Eddie assumed. He glanced at me. "Maxwell visits some relatives at Court sometimes. He's in with the guardians there."

"Alright, class," Dimitri said. "We have a new student today. I know you'll make her feel very welcome." Everyone's heads swiveled to look at me and I held in a groan. Of course he would have to single me out. "Katerina Hathaway? Would you like to introduce yourself?" He had a strong Russian accent, and I wondered if this was the warlord Rose had been talking about at breakfast.

I walked up to stand near Dimitri. He offered me an encouraging nod, no smile, and waited for me to say something. I looked out over the stares of my new classmates and groaned internally.

"Call me Kate."

* * *

**RosePOV**

Kate stood at the front of the room, near Dimitri but not super close. She seemed to be annoyed at him calling her up, but I could see the curiosity in his face and in everyone else. Hell, even I was curious about my sister. She hadn't been really forthcoming with information so far, and Adrian had chased off my questions yesterday when they had arrived. But who could blame me, really? I hadn't known that I even had a sister until several days ago. My mom had neglected to mention her in all of our _fluffy_, _loving_ visits, and Kate had certainly never contacted me herself.

She knew more than me about our family, that was for sure.

"Okay, class," Dimitri said, obviously deciding that Kate wasn't going to say anything other than her nickname. "Pair up and start sparring."

Eddie and I turned to each other automatically, but were quickly captivated by Kate, like everyone else in the room. She made for an odd number of novices, so Dimitri stepped in to spar with her. While everyone did partner up, as per Dimitri's instructions, we all turned back to the front of the room where Kate and Dimitri stood, facing each other. They squared off, ignoring the audience, and Eddie and I pushed a little closer to the front for a better view.

Kate didn't look like a tough novice or guardian-to-be standing in sharp relief next to Dimitri. He was all bulk, muscle, height, and intimidation. She reminded me immediately of a fragile china doll with her tiny frame and large, innocent eyes. I found it so difficult to believe that of the two of us, she was older, but I could kind of see it in her expressions. Not only was she older, she had already seen so much in her life; so many horrors that I hadn't been exposed to yet. And that aged a person, as I could gather from my own experiences. I knew that I acted older since Spokane. Kate, though small, seemed years older than she appeared.

I watched her begin to move around the mat with Dimitri. Their styles were easily distinguishable. Dimitri was a badass and a god of war, but even his brawn had trouble keeping up with nimble, quick Kate. Her moves were always just a little too quick for him to catch. Her punches didn't have nearly as much force as his did, but she was able to get substantial hits and kicks on Dimitri, which was a huge accomplishment that everyone recognized.

Their fight continued for a long time. Neither seemed ready to admit defeat, but neither were accomplishing much. Watching Dimitri spar, I could see how much he was holding back, but I had to wonder about Kate. She was tiring-that much was obvious-but she wasn't giving in.

Dimitri landed a blow to Kate's shoulder, meant to block a punch, but he ended up knocking her to the ground. She landed with a loud, hard _thud_ against the mat and was still for several long moments.

"Kate?" Dimitri asked her in concern as he hurried to her side. I ran quickly over to them, concerned for my china-doll sister. She was moving a little on the floor.

"Well this is embarrassing," she noted sarcastically as she saw me. She pulled herself up slowly, rubbing her shoulder absently. "I'm so out of shape," she groaned.

"I thought you did very well for your first day back," Dimitri noted, quietly praising her. She rolled her eyes ruefully up at him.

"Thanks, Guardian…"

"Belikov," he supplied. She nodded.

"Thanks, Guardian Belikov, but at my old school, that fight would have gotten me twenty laps around the campus. That was an epic fail and we both know it."

"What academy did you attend?" he asked, surprised at her reaction.

"St. John's," she said quietly.

A hush fell over the class. Several other novices had heard Kate's words and had fallen silent. No one knew much about the notorious Strigoi massacre, only that there were no survivors. The campus had been ruined; buildings crumbled from crude, human made bombs; fire had burned down many of the trees and shrubbery; every novice and guardian was brutally slaughtered; the few Moroi that had been on the campus were either dead or missing, which meant they were either dead or Strigoi.

"That's a very prestigious school," Dimitri said neutrally. She moved to stand and he helped her up slowly.

"Was," she corrected, her dark eyes shrewd. "It's gone now. Isn't it?"

"Yes," he hesitated. Kate turned around and walked over to the other side of the mat.

"Again?" she asked. Dimitri shook his head.

"No, you've done enough for today. The rest of the class, however, needs their turn. Everyone get back to your sparring and begin. I will walk around and correct you as I see fit," Dimitri called out.

Everyone scrambled back to their mats and began sparring, but I turned to Eddie and started our spar half-ass.

"Rose, you can do better than this," Eddie informed me as he got a punch in on my forearm that had me wincing.

"I can't stop thinking about her," I admitted, worried. I wasn't sure how Kate escaped dying, but I wasn't sure I was ready to find out just yet. Eddie and I spared a look over to where my sister sat on the ground where Dimitri had left her, arms wrapped loosely around her knees. Her dark eyes were scanning her surroundings, watching and vigilant.

"She'll be fine," Eddie told me. We resumed our fight just as Dimitri walked past us. He nodded approvingly and moved on.

By the time class was over, Eddie and I were grinning at each other. We had ended with a draw; I knew that I could beat him if I really tried but throughout the fight half of my attention remained on Kate and how she had attended St. John's. I still didn't understand how she was the only survivor, but I intended to find out. Whether it was through her or Adrian, I wasn't sure, but I resolved to know what had happened to her.

She was staring down at the paper in her hand, looking confused. I glanced over her shoulder at her second class and grinned. Adrian's clumsy scrawl was hard to read, but I had that class with her.

"It's room 3," I told her. She looked up at me, confused. "Not room 8," I clarified. "We have that class together."

"Oh, okay," she agreed, falling into step beside me. She swung her bookbag onto her back and followed the direction I was cutting across the quad. Eddie joined us quickly, breaking off from a group of guys he mostly hung out with.

"So, the weather must be cold for you," Eddie said conversationally. I was glad; he had a lot more luck getting her to talk than I did so far. Kate turned a curious look up at him. "You know, Georgia is in the south…it must be really hot there."

Realization dawned on her face followed quickly by some emotion I couldn't name. It looked like a mixture of sadness, anger, and irritation. I heard her take a deep breath before she answered.

"I've been up here in the mountains for a while. They kept me not far from here."

Her answer shot the three of us back into silence. Eddie wasn't sure what to say, and neither was I. An innocent assumption had turned into a minefield. Eddie and I exchanged a quick look and guided Kate into the building. As we walked down the hallway, Moroi and novices alike stared and sometimes stopped to gawk at Kate. In the dim lighting of the building, her paler skin shone pretty against her all-black training clothes. She wore a turtleneck with long sleeves and her hair in a ponytail, along with black ankle-length leggings. Normally we changed to nicer clothes for our sit-down classes but we had bodyguard theory right between two combat classes, so it didn't really make sense.

Eddie and I slumped ahead of Kate into the room and into our seats. We both sat in the middle, but he was three rows down from me, closer to the windows. Kate scanned the class for an empty seat and managed to snag one in the middle as well, in the row behind mine and Eddie's, two rows away from me and one from Eddie.

"Alright, class, settle down," Stan said in a loud voice as he walked into the room. He looked up, eyes roving across the faces before he found the one he was looking for. "Hathaway," he stated. He motioned at Kate. "Front and center; let's go."

Kate made her way to the front of the room, earning every pair of eyes as she walked. When she turned around and faced the class, just steps away from Stan, I thought she was going to lose it. Her face was neutral but her eyes were a storm of emotion. And just like that, right before my eyes, they changed abruptly, so that they were as blank as the rest of her. She appeared to have stopped her emotions in their tracks instantly.

"Nice to meet you, Katerina," Stan began easily. Her gaze swiveled to lock on him.

"Kate," she corrected immediately. He nodded.

"Kate, then," he agreed. "Tell us about yourself, Kate," he requested.

Her tone was clipped, but professional.

"My name is Kate Hathaway. Daughter of Janine Hathaway, sister of Rose Hathaway. I used to go to St. John's Academy. It's gone. Now I'm here."

"Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?" he asked, prodding, I was assuming, about her involvement in the school's attack. Kate remained silent and shook her head no. "Okay then, you may take your seat. Today, we'll start with chapter five…"

Stan droned on and on for the rest of class. When we finally managed to get out of that hellhole, with no altercation with him on my part (which I was quite proud of), we headed out to the fields for our next class. Kate walked between Eddie and me again, hand poised on the strap of her bookbag as we walked. I noticed that she looked straight ahead and didn't acknowledge people as we passed. She was ignoring their stares or at least focused on something else.

This next instructor didn't force Kate to awkwardly introduce herself to the class. Almost everyone knew her by now, since St. Vladimir's wasn't that big and news traveled fast.

We stretched and exercised for most of the class before the instructor asked for volunteers to spar for critique. Eddie volunteered and I grinned at him as he walked up to the front of the class and waited for his partner.

No one else volunteered. The instructor scanned the crowd before finding what he wanted.

"You-Hathaway," he called. Kate and I exchanged a glance, not sure which one of us he meant. "The new one, Katerina," he requested. Kate sighed and walked up to the front. She corrected him politely on her name and he nodded before he gestured for her to start sparring with Eddie.

Eddie was definitely a formidable opponent, and reminded me a lot of Dimitri. He was tall, broad, and had sizeable muscles, and looked funny beside delicate Kate. I remembered from earlier that she was tougher than she appeared, but it was still weird to see the two of them squaring off to fight. The match was ridiculous looking.

Kate moved gracefully around the mat that the instructor had put out for them. She was nimble and quick, and her punches had a greater effect on Eddie than they had Dimitri. It was obvious only a minute into the fight that she was superior, and was going to win.

She was delivering a roundhouse kick, the final blow, when it happened. Eddie fell to the ground, conceding defeat. Kate righted herself gracefully on the mat, silently victorious, before she collapsed into a small pile suddenly.

I ran forward as Eddie crawled to her aid. From his awkward angle, we reached her at the same time. I flipped her over roughly onto her back to see her eyes closed, mouth open, and a defeated, droopy look to her features.

"She's passed out!" I exclaimed worriedly. Eddie hadn't gotten many hits on her, but the ones he did get in weren't anywhere near danger zones.

"We need to get her to the clinic!" Eddie added as the instructor nodded worriedly. I stood with her awkwardly draped across my arms just as she was coming to a little.

She began screaming, thrashing, fighting me off; brown eyes wild with fear.

"Get off! Get off of me!" she yelled.

Dimitri, ever sensing trouble, stepped in from where he was watching our class on the sidelines as a supervisor. Kate seemed to fear him more than anyone else, and her wild eyes suddenly found me and locked on.

"Rose," she said softly. Her nails caught my forearms and dug in harshly, the smooth crescents digging into my skin. "Don't let them take me."

"Who?" I asked. But she was lost in a fever, a dream. I thought maybe "them" was a reference to the Strigoi that had hurt her. Eddie and Dimitri were big and kind of scary looking if you didn't know them. And Kate had only just gotten back from a terrifying experience.

"Kate," Dimitri said in a low, soothing voice. She turned to look at him, fear-filled eyes wide. "Listen to me, please. You're not with them anymore. They're gone. You're at St. Vladimir's, and you're safe."

"None of us are safe," she said in a quiet, calm voice. Her nails released me and I rubbed my arms quickly, smoothing away the scratches. She hadn't broken skin, but her words were haunting and eerie.

"You're safe. Right now, here with me," he assured her gently. He reached out for her. "I'll take you to the clinic."

"Not safe," she said, shaking her head.

And then something seemed to just hit her all of a sudden. I was pinning it on exhaustion, or maybe dehydration. Whatever it was, she collapsed again, straight into Dimitri's sure, waiting arms. He scooped her up effortlessly and nodded to the instructor. I began to follow him, Eddie following me.

"Go get Adrian," I advised him. He nodded and set off in another direction.

I caught up to Dimitri and watched him murmur softly in Russian to Kate. She was stirring in his arms, but nowhere near waking up.

"Dimitri?" I hated how my voice shook with nerves and worry. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Physically," he began softly, warm eyes finding mine. "I'm sure she will be. Emotionally…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't know, Rose."


End file.
